Package having corner web structure

ABSTRACT

A package for a plurality of articles having tapered side walls and disposed in side by side relation in at least one row to form a rectilinear arrangement incorporates a wrapper having spaced top, bottom and side walls interconnected to form an open ended tubular structure. A unitary corner web is foldably joined to the end edges at each corner of the top wall and to an anchoring flap which in turn is foldably joined to each end edge of each side wall. Each web is unitary and devoid of weakening fold lines and preferably is of triangular configuration. The bias forces are such that the end edges of the top wall are biased downwardly and the top corners of the package are braced upwardly in such manner as to preclude crushing of the upper corners of the package due to external forces applied thereto and the lower edge of each web is arranged to afford a gentle cushioning action whereby the articles are prevented from becoming dislodged through the ends thereof.

United States Patent Lock [ 51 Aug. 1,1972

[54] PACKAGE HAVING CORNER WEB STRUCTURE [72] Inventor: Joseph H. Lock, Mableton, Ga.

[73] Assignee: The Mead Corporation [22] Filed: Jan. 23, 1970 [211 Appl. No.: 5,282

[52] US. Cl. ..206/65 R, 229/40 [51] Int. Cl. ..B65d 71/00 [58] Field of Search ..206/46 R, 65; 229/40 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,849,111 8/1958 Fielding ..206/65 C 3,391,781 7/1968 Jorgensen ..206/65 R 3,330,463 7/1967 Wood ..229/40 2,904,170 9/ 1959 Hennessey et al. ..229/40 X 3,167,214 1/1965 Mahon ..220/116 FOREIGN PATENTS 0R APPLICATIONS 945,352 12/ 1963 Great Britain ..229/40 1,436,066 3/1966 France ..206/65 1,464,102 1 1/1966 France ..206/65 Primary Examiner-Joseph R. Leclair Assistant Examiner-J. M. Caskie Attorney-Walter M. Rodgers [57] ABSTRACT A package for a plurality of articles having tapered side walls and disposed in side by side relation in at least one row to form a rectilinear arrangement incorporates a wrapper having spaced top, bottom and side walls interconnected to form an open ended tubular structure. A unitary corner web is foldably joined to the end edges at each comer of the top wall and to an anchoring flap which in turn is foldably joined to each end edge of each side wall. Each web is unitary and devoid of weakening fold lines and preferably is of triangular configuration. The bias forces are such that the end edges of the top wall are biased downwardly and the top corners of the package are braced upwardly in such manner as to preclude crushing of the upper corners of the package due to external forces applied thereto and the lower edge of each web is arranged to afford a gentle cushioning action whereby the articles are prevented from becoming dislodged through the ends thereof.

1 Claim, 5 Drawing Figures l 42" I 1 I I a 1 124 l l l I 3 s .l I0

I I l g n l PATENTEDMIS 11972 3.680.691

INVENTOR JOSEPH H. LOCK ATTORNEY PACKAGE HAVING CORNER WEB STRUCTURE Primary packages which are generally of a circular cross sectional configuration and which are characterized by downwardly tapered side walls and top peripheral flanges are difficult to package in a wrapper type carton because of the requirement that the carton side walls conform in tapered fashion with the side walls of the primary packages and because there is no protrusion or recess formed in the lower ends of such packages whereby the wrapper may be securely interrelated with the primary packages. For these reasons, article retention means is ordinarily provided and arranged to engage the top portions of the primary packages.

According to this invention a tubular carton of the wrapper type is provided at each of its upper comers with a unitary web structure which is devoid of weakening fold lines and each web structure is interrelated with the adjacent end edge of the top wall of the carton along a fold line at the comer of the top wall and also is anchored to the adjacent end of each side wall by means of a foldable interconnection with an anchoring flap which itself is foldably joined to the adjacent end edge of each side wall.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tubular wrapper constructed according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a blank from which the wrapper of FIG. 1 is formed;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken along the line designated 3-3 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a primary package of the type best suited for the practice of the invention and in which FIG. 5 is an end view of a carton and its contents which is constructed according to the invention.

With reference to the drawings the numeral 1 designates the top wall of the carrier while the numerals 2 and 3 designate side walls which are foldably joined to top wall 1 along fold lines 4 and 5 respectively.

The bottom wall of the wrapper is a composite structure which includes the bottom panel 6 which is foldably joined to the bottom edge of side wall 3 along fold line 7 and to which a plurality of locking tabs 8-1-1 are foldably joined along their respective fold lines 12-15 respectively. At the other end of the blank, a guide panel 16 is foldably joined to side wall 2 along fold line 17 and a plurality of locking slots 18-21 are disposed generally astride the fold line 17. The locking slots 18-21 and their associated locking tabs 8-11 together with the guide panel 16 are formed in accordance with US. application, Ser. No. 5,271 filed Jan. 23, 1970.

The articles packaged within the tubular container such as is shown in FIG. 1 are preferably of the type shown in FIG. 4 and incorporate downwardly tapered side walls such as are designated at W together with a top flange designated at F.

In accordance with this invention, the central part of each end edge of top wall 1 is of generally arcuate configuration. Thus the central end edge portions designated at 22 and 23 conform with the underlying end portions of the associated primary packages P.

At each upper corner of the tubular wrapper, a generally triangular web panel is disposed and in the drawings such panels are designated by the numerals 24-27. The webs are foldably joined to the adjacent edge of the top panel along straight fold lines designated respectively by the numerals 28-31. The webs are also foldably joined to anchoring flaps 32-35 respectively along fold lines 36-39 respectively while the anchoring flaps are foldably joined to the end edges 40-43 respectively of the side walls of the wrapper. Fold lines 36-39 are disposed with respect to an imaginary extension of fold lines 4 and 5 at acute angles as indicated at X in FIG. 2.

From the above description and particularly with reference to FIG. 2, it is apparent that each of the web panels 24-27 is generally triangular in configuration and that each such web panel is devoid of a weakening fold line which characterizes many prior art arrangements, such fold lines usually constituting an extension of the fold lines 4 and 5 in order to facilitate formation of the package. Of course the fact that theweb panels 24-27 are devoid of fold lines substantially increases their mechanical strength and overall reliability as holding means whereby the primary packages are held within the tubular wrapper.

Holding action and overall security of the package is enhanced by the fact that the angular relationships of the various fold lines such for example as fold lines 28, 36 and 40 and the corresponding fold lines in the other webs are such that the ends of the top wall 1 are bowed downwardly slightly as is apparent from FIG. 3. Furthermore, these angular relationships between the fold lines such as 28, 36 and 40 are such that a substantial upward biasing force is applied to the associated corner disposed at each end of the fold lines 4 and 5.

Since the primary packages taper downwardly and because the upper flange F determines the disposition of the fold lines such as 28 and 29 at one end of the package and 30 and 31 at the other end of the package, it follows that the web panels such as 24-27 must be disposed at an angle to the top wall 1 whereby only the lower edge portions thereof engage the side walls W of the adjacent primary packages. For example, the end edge 44 of web 24 encircles a part of the wall W of the adjacent primary package P while the end edge 45 of web 25 enages the other side of the primary package while enveloping the flange F of the primary package. Of course the end edges 46 and 47 of webs 26 and 27 cooperate with the other primary package in like fashion.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A wrapper for a plurality of articles having tapered side walls and disposed in side by side relation in one row to form a rectilinear arrangement, said wrapper being formed from a blank and having spaced top, bottom, and side walls interconnected to form a tubular structure disposed about the articles and arranged so that the top wall overlies the tops of the articles and so that the side walls are tapered to conform generally with the taper of the article side walls and the top wall having outwardly protruding end edge portions the central parts of which are of generally arcuate configuration, an anchoring flap foldably joined to each end edge of each side wall and disposed in flat face contacting relation with the inner surfaces thereof, and a unitary comer web devoid of fold lines and foldably joined to each of said anchoring flaps and the adjacent part of the adjacent end edge of said top wall, the fold line between each of said webs and the associated anchor- 5 ingflap beingdisposedwhen viewedonthe blankatan acute angle to an imaginary extension of the fold line between said topwall and the adjacent side wall, the angles of the fold lines between each web and the ad- 

1. A wrapper for a plurality of articles having tapered side walls and disposed in side by side relation in one row to form a rectilinear arrangement, said wrapper being formed from a blank and having spaced top, bottom, and side walls interconnected to form a tubular structure disposed about the articles and arranged so that the top wall overlies the tops of the articles and so that the side walls are tapered to conform generally with the taper of the article side walls and the top wall having outwardly protruding end edge portions the central parts of which are of generally arcuate configuration, an anchoring flap foldably joined to each end edge of each side wall and disposed in flat face contacting relation with the inner surfaces thereof, and a unitary corner web devoid of fold lines and foldably joined to each of said anchoring flaps and the adjacent part of the adjacent end edge of said top wall, the fold line between each of said webs and the associated anchoring flap being disposed when viewed on the blank at an acute angle to an imaginary extension of the fold line between said top wall and the adjacent side wall, the angles of the fold lines between each web and the adjacent flap and end edge of said top wall being related so as to impart bias forces to said webs due to the angles of the fold lines between each web and the adjacent flap and end edge of said top wall thereby to impart a slight downward tilt to the end edges of said top wall and a resultant upward biasing force to the adjacent corners of the wrapper. 